Rail vehicles, and in particular carriages which are intended to accommodate passengers, comprise a body which includes a floor, a roof, two end walls and two lateral walls. The lateral walls comprise openings which are intended, on the one hand, to receive doors and, on the other hand, to receive windows. The arrangement and the number of windows of the carriages may vary from one model to another.
In order to produce the body of a rail vehicle, it is known to produce panels which include the floor, the roof or the lateral walls in one piece and which are of the length of the whole of the body of the carriage.
This technique has the disadvantage of requiring equipment which is suitable for each length of rail vehicle.
Other methods are also known which involve producing modular lateral faces by assembling panels which include profile-sections having hollow compartments. These profile-sections comprise an inner wall and an outer wall which are connected by means of cross-members which form channels having a triangular or square cross-section. Panels of this type have the disadvantage of being difficult to shape, in particular in order to be curved. Furthermore, the strengthening cross-members are unidirectional and are either parallel with the carriage floor or perpendicular relative thereto. Furthermore, the connection between the two successive panels may present problems in terms of sealing.
Methods for producing lateral walls of rail vehicles are also known which involve producing a framework which includes horizontal beams which are of the length of the body of the rail vehicle and a grid which includes beams which extend over the height of the lateral wall of the rail vehicle, this structure being covered by an outer skin. This technique has the disadvantage of requiring the use of very long beams.